Critic Reviews

Broken Sword – The Sleeping Dragon will remind you what adventure games used to be about, good old-fashioned puzzle-solving adventure. This Christmas; Sit back, dim the lights, and prepare for one hell of a mystery adventure!

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars was one of the first games I played on PlayStation. It's blend of puzzles, engaging characters and a strong narrative were a welcome change from a plethora of football games, arcade racers and un-ambitious platform titles.

There simply aren't enough games like Broken Sword and that's a real shame in my book. With a gripping plot, instinctive controls and superb voice acting, The Sleeping Dragon is the sort of game that you can enjoy on a rainy day, curled up in front of the TV. Laced with humour and charm, it'll capture your imagination in a way that not many games can. Forget the usual mindless zombie killing, this is an adventure game and one that does the genre proud.

Due to the nature of the game it's not going to be one for everyone. The younger or less patient among you would probably be better going for a faster paced game. Adventures are slow, progressive games but are also very rewarding. Anyone who has found memories of any of the games mentioned earlier will get a lot from this.

This might seem like a negative review and I suppose I have highlighted some of the games weaker points but I'd still recommend this game to fans of the series. Whilst there are some problems with the game the quality of the story will help you to ignore most of the aforementioned faults and will keep you playing for about the 10-12 hours it takes to finish the game. The puzzles aren't particularly difficult but I suppose for most this will be a major selling point.

What saves The Sleeping Dragon is the sheer level of personality it exudes, and since this may not hit home with those not yet familiar with the series, it is arguable that Revolution's latest instalment has not fulfilled it's remit to broaden the appeal of this aging genre. Newcomers ought not be put off entirely, however; the game retains that rare quality of enabling its quirks and annoyances to grow on the player, and even become central to the experience. So for gamers who simply could not forgive Resident Evil's door-opening loading pauses, or Tomb Raider's instant deaths, or Metal Gear Solid's Codec conversations, caution is advised.

In many senses The Sleeping Dragon is a leap forward for the genre. The actual play mechanics, the interface and the visuals are great, but you'll be wishing Revolution and THQ had invested as much time and effort polishing the narrative and puzzle element to the same high standards. We're in no doubt that it tried, but we can't lie just because we think Charles is a good bloke. We're caught in two minds, ultimately. One says we're excited to be talking about a largely uncompromising adventure game that does much to revive a dead genre, the other is that we're gutted that it's populated with cast hired from Stereotypes Anonymous that should have been subjected to the firing squad at the concept stage. There's much potential here, but Cecil and co. have some work to do before they can awaken The Sleeping Genre.